Hong Xiuquan

Hong Xiuquan (1 January 1814-1 June 1864) was Emperor of the Heavenly Kingdom from 11 January 1851 to 1 June 1864, preceding Hong Tianguifu. He was the leader of the Christian "God Worshippers" cult in Guangxi, and, in 1851, he led his cult in the deadly "Taiping Rebellion" against the Qing dynasty.

Biography
Hong Xiuquan was born in Hua County, Guangdong, China in 1814. He was educated by a Baptist minister, but he became a failed scholar, and he emerged as the head of the Christian millenarian "God Worshippers" cult in Guangxi; Hong claimed to have been Jesus' younger brother. In 1851, the Qing dynasty began to persecute the followers of his cult, leading to rebellions breaking out in southern and central China. Xiuquan proclaimed the creation of the "Taiping Heavenly Kingdom", and he railed against alcohol, tobacco, and opium, Manchu rule over China, and foreign influences in the country. Hong's army reached 1,000,000 soldiers, and his forces succeeded in brutally capturing Nanjing, which became the cult's capital. The Qing dynasty would gain the upper hand with military assistance from the United Kingdom and France, and Nanjing was stormed in 1864. Hong and 100,000 of his followers chose to commit suicide rather than be captured by the Qing forces, and Hong took poison. His son, Hong Tianguifu, became the second and last King of the Heavenly Kingdom.